


Branded by Moonlight

by TalesFromMyBrain



Category: Andi Mack (TV), Original Work
Genre: Ambi - Freeform, Andi Mack - Freeform, Andi Mack AU, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Gay, LGBT, Lesbian, M/M, Magic, Magic AU, Magic Academy, Muffy - Freeform, Plot, Trans, Transgender, Tyrus - Freeform, Tyrus AU, ambi au, muffy au, original - Freeform, queer, story based
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-09
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-08-13 11:34:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20173576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalesFromMyBrain/pseuds/TalesFromMyBrain
Summary: In a very different world from our own, the citizens of the magical country of Brileft enjoyed a life of relative peace and prosperity.  Cyrus Goodman was a boy from a small town in the southernmost regions of the nation with an affinity for manipulating the elements. He had always dreamed of going to the famous Phoenix Academy in the country's capital, Solrite city. When his letter came in the mail telling him that he'd earned a full scholarship to the school of his dreams, he couldn't have been more thrilled. But when he arrived, he discovered that the acclaimed magic academy isn't as amazing as he thought. Classes were tough, the halls were a minefield, and his classmates were jerks, especially the cocky and aloof bully, TJ Kippen. Things get even more hectic when the prophetic blood moon rises in Brileft's sky, and Cyrus finds himself caught up in a mystery that could turn his whole world onto its head.





	1. Prologue: Welcome to Phoenix Academy

**Author's Note:**

> The world the story is based in is about a couple hundred or so years behind in technological advancements to our own, with a few exceptions here and there. However architecturally and aesthetically, it definitely resembles more of a fantasy/medieval era civilization than one from the early 1900s. It also lacks things like cars and planes, instead running on universal public transit consisting mainly of elaborate train systems.

To many people, Fate has a different meaning. Some believe that their whole life is prewritten by a God or Goddess above. Others see fate as the conclusion rather than the path; your life is your own, but your destiny is inevitable. But some tend to believe that that conclusion is fluid and can change, that their fate is not etched in stone. Others still, see fate as a call, a pull, a red string tying you to something or someone. While some simply think fate is a myth, an idea created to comfort those who cannot cope with the truth: that they're navigating this terrifying world on their own.

To the people of Brileft, however, fate was very real, but very different from the way we perceive it. Fate was not predetermined, but written in real time by sorcerers. They did not simply see into the future, but rather created the future whenever they looked forward, setting in stone events which were not yet defined.

One of the methods in which they did this were prophecies. Undeniable glimpses into a time decades, even centuries out of reach. Once told, they were a fact that could not be changed.

However, prophecies could not simply be called upon at any moment, and their rarity meant that one was told maybe once every few years, if that. And often prophecies were not very impressive, telling of nothing more than some random, unimportant, or even downright silly detail of the future. A prediction that some poor kid named Robert would fall victim of a whoopee cushion prank was far more expected than anything tangibly useful or impressive.

So you can imagine the shock and panic when a credible account of a prophecy surfaced predicting the collapse of the world. Word of the prophecy spread throughout the entire country in a matter of days. In a fortnight, it had become common knowledge.

Just a century and a half later, most people knew the prophecy better than they knew their own names. It was discussed more now than ever, even upon its first discovery. For it was set to come to fruition sometime next year…

_ Two spirits imbued with powerful magic, the harolds' time to walk the Earth approaches. During the year of the first millennium, the Blood Moon will rise over the capital of Brileft, and by its light, the harolds will be unmasked. Upon this omen, the fate of the world will be sealed. For if they fall, all shall live, and if they are allowed to roam free, the world shall be engulfed in flames. _

-_-_-

Cyrus had always thought that going to high school at Phoenix Academy would be the best time of his life. But now, a couple months into his first semester, he knew he couldn’t have been more wrong.

Sure, he’d gained some new friendships since school started, specifically with two girls named Buffy and Andi. They were like his platonic soulmates; the three of them just seemed to naturally mesh together like they’d known each other for years. 

And sure, he was also glad to have moved out of the small town he’d grown up in. He'd always heard stories of the grand capital city from the soldiers stationed by his home; watching the soldiers with their awe-inspiring magical abilities was actually what motivated him to want to go to Phoenix Academy in the first place. But actually going from the empty fields and dirt roads of Shadyside to the brimming metropolis of Solrite, wasn't just a neat novelty, it was absolutely life-changing.

Just looking out of his fourth story window at the towering masses all around still felt like a dream to him. The sight was breathtaking, but most impressive of all was the giant castle that stood high above it all, on a mountain in the centre of the city. Cyrus desperately wanted to go there, not to visit the nation's government facilities held inside, but because he could only imagine what the view must look like from the castle's highest tower.

But that’s where the good things ended and the bad things began.

The students at the school were divided into two types: first were those enrolled in program Alpha (α), which was basically a public school for the local kids. It was free for those who lived in the area and it ran on the normal regional public school curriculum.

And then there were those students enrolled in one of the four Magic Arts programs (or MA programs for short), who made up the majority of the school's population. These programs were prestigious and highly renowned throughout the nation. While they also followed the public school curriculum, their true focus was on the extra classes they provided: instructional sorcery courses for those who bore an innate affinity for one of the four magic arts. Or more accurately, to provide instruction to the kids who could afford to pay for it.

What Cyrus didn’t expect before his arrival was that the tensions between the two groups of students would be so high.

Him and the other MA students were constantly harassed for being “rich, privileged kids with a false sense of superiority,” by the α students. It didn’t help that a lot of them _ were _ rich privileged kids with a false sense of superiority.

To make matters worse, most teachers viewed the α student minority as a charity case as opposed to "real academy students." Whenever staff had to step in, they often defaulted to the side of the kids whose tuitions were filling their pockets, which just made the overall conflict worse.

Navigating school was like walking through a battlefield and Cyrus hated it. And that was before Buffy gained the attention of TJ Kippen, one of the school’s most notorious bullies. Cyrus hadn’t even spoken to TJ and yet he was constantly caught in the crossfire between him and Buffy, both of whom were too stubborn to ever back down.

That’s not to say that positive relationships between α and MA students were unheard of. Cyrus had even made friends with a boy named Jonah, who didn’t have any affinity for magic whatsoever. But for the vast majority of the school, the lines between the two groups were clearly drawn.

Despite being there on a full scholarship, Cyrus was also having trouble keeping up with the workload the academy was dishing out. It was nearly impossible to get any studying done outside of his dorm room, because every inch of the academy was filled with magic. The novelty of seeing some dumbass rich kid blow themself up wore out pretty fast when all Cyrus desperately wanted to do was focus on his essay.

Unfortunately, his dorm room just happened to be placed on the opposite side of the school from all of his classes, and he wasn’t about to trek half an hour across campus and back every time he had a couple hours of free time.

On top of it all, living on his own for the first time was a whole challenge in it of itself. He was never able to wake himself up on time, he constantly forgot to stock up on groceries for the weekends when the dining hall was closed, and he’d accidentally dyed all of his socks pink when doing the laundry on multiple occasions; it was lucky that their uniform wasn’t white.

Still, going to Phoenix Academy had always been his dream and now that he was there, he wasn’t about to just accept defeat. He was going to make this work, he had to.

-_-_-

"Mr. Goodman," Professor Frankel called upon Cyrus, "can you tell the class what caused the Rebellions of Wetright?"

"Um, land disputes?" Cyrus guessed, not having found the time to read the assigned chapter.

Professor Frankel tsked at him. "Just because it happened some two hundred years ago now, does not make this subject any less important, Mr. Goodman. You may be in program Delta, but that does not entail skimping out on the rest of your studies. You would do well to remember that."

"But Professor, that's not fair," Buffy protested, coming to Cyrus' aid.

The caramel skinned girl was dressed in the same garments as the rest of the class, as per the academy's uniform policy. Her curly hair was tied back into a ponytail, her chestnut eyes electric with determination.

She had on a black jacket over top of a polo shirt of the same colour, which had the school’s crest sewn onto it. The jacket had beige cuffs at the end of the sleeves, a long black tail that covered her rear, and a singular clasp to hold it together just under her chest. The silver and crimson emblem of the academy shimmered above her heart.

"We're already doing double the work of a normal high school, and that's just from Magic Arts!" she continued. "Can't you give us a break?

"No, I cannot Ms. Driscoll," Professor Frankel stated sternly. "I can't simply pass you with the same grade as a student who did substantially more work than you because you're having personal time management problems. Now _ that _ would be unfair, not to mention downright detrimental to your learning experience, and consequently the academy's reputation."

Snickers and even some lowkey high fives exchanged quietly throughout the α students in the class. They relished in this small victory, a rare occasion where a teacher was finally taking their side over the MA spoiled brats.

She turned back to the class. "Now, can anyone tell Mr. Goodman and Ms. Driscoll the actual answer to my question?"

A few hands shot up, though none as enthusiastically as TJ’s.

His many scraps with MA students had left his hand and upper arm filled with cuts and bruises, clearly visible against his ivory skin. His dirty blonde hair was spiked upwards with way too much hair wax but he pulled it off. He was nearly a head taller than Cyrus and clearly much more athletic; but even more intimidating was the unwavering confidence he seemed to naturally exude at all times.

When the professor pointed to him to give an answer, he couldn’t hide his smug grin.

“The Rebellions of Wetright, which occurred during the year 834, was, of course, a series of civil rebellions started in reaction to the new laws that would regulate magic use in Brileft,” he explained. Though his words sounded straight out of a textbook, his tone was casual as though such facts were common knowledge. “They sparked the beginning of the Great Phoenix War that next year, which is where Phoenix Academy got its name.”

“Precisely, Mr. Kippen,” Professor Frankel exclaimed, clearly happy that at least one student had done the readings.

“Back before the war,” she lectured, “Brileft was a much more chaotic land. Sure, there was a government in place, but with civilians having completely unchecked access to powerful magic, it was difficult to maintain order. Tensions were rising, many people, magical and human, just wanted the chaos to end, though it was especially bad for the non-magical populous who had no way to fight back.

“In 834, it was announced that laws would be instated to regulate civilian magic use. As you can imagine, many people were not about to sit down and let this freedom be taken away from them. The opposition began with small Rebellions in Wetright, but soon it escalated into a full on civil war.

“You should all be familiar with the Great War at this point, of course, but the curriculum demands I cover it anyway,” she sighed, pushing up her glasses.

“It was a terrible war, there were millions of casualties, and the opposition nearly emerged victorious," she sped through the details. "But in 841, records say that a Phoenix appeared from the heavens and wiped out the enemy, thereby abruptly ending the war.

“The governing bodies of the nation quickly took hold of their newfound victory and went ahead with implementing the Civilian Magic Act. This act did many things, but most significantly, it outright banned magic use for anyone over the age of eleven, unless otherwise permitted by the government. The laws took hold easily with the populous of Brileft tired and yearning for any peace they could latch onto after such a brutal war.

“In 852, Phoenix Academy was established in honour of the victory. It was the first school in the country to continue the tradition of passing down teachings of magic since the war ended, now under the government's watchful eye. Though other schools have popped up over the years to provide more widespread opportunities for magic education, Phoenix remains the largest and most well-known.

“Of course, to this day people believe magic should be decriminalized, a stance I’m sure most of you have heard before, or may even harbour yourself. Protests led by this movement are how magic theory courses were added to the public curriculum nationwide, even though practical magic use is still prohibited. Though the movement's true goals aren't widely accepted, that particular less radical demand caught public attention and soon had wide scale support.

“The argument there was that knowledge, at the very least, should be available to everyone, which is admittedly a sentiment I agree with. However, the academy as an institution stands firmly behind the regulations currently set in place; if not for them, our nation would descend into lawlessness and chaos, and the world we've crafted would fall apart."

At her last statement, a blonde boy near the back of the class scoffed.

“Do you have something to say, Mr. Parker?” Professor Frankel inquired.

“First of all, it's Reed, don't call me by my last name. And yeah, I do actually,” Reed spoke up. “The Civilian Magic Act is bullshit. I can turn into a gecko easier than I can do a somersault, and yet, even if I leave this damn Silenced city, I’m not allowed to shapeshift for even a millisecond or else I’ll be thrown in jail! Why? Because I can’t afford to put down like a million bucks on this fancy-ass school to get an 'official brand.' Y'know, even though I _ already _ fucking go here.”

Cyrus rubbed the tattoo on his collarbone uncomfortably. It wasn't an actual tattoo, but rather a magic brand given to him at the start of the month. It allowed him to bypass the Silence, an enchantment that covered Solrite, preventing any and all magic use. Oddly enough, most people tended to refer to the Silence like it was some sort of entity, which honestly creeped Cyrus out.

Most major cities were encapsulated by the same enchantment, but back in a small town like Shadyside, the only thing stopping Cyrus from using magic were the soldiers stationed there. Most people who lived in cities had never even gotten to use their magic, but growing up outside the Silence, Cyrus got to use his power pretty freely until he was 12. That's just how the laws were, because what else were they going to do? Lock up a bunch of children for a power they can barely control?

Cyrus’ brand also allowed the government to track every bit of magic he used, ready to take it away at the slightest sense of trouble. It stressed him out quite a bit, having someone always watching him like that. But if you wanted to use magic legally anywhere in Brileft, you had to have a brand.

“Reed,” Professor Frankel addressed him sympathetically, though it seemed to pain her to use his first name, “you must understand that these laws are put in place for our protection.”

“Protection? Protection from what?” Reed argued, slamming his hands on his desk. “What can I do as a gecko that could be even remotely dangerous? On the other hand, dragon girl over there," he gestured to Buffy, "can transform whenever she wants! If anyone’s gonna make the world ‘descend into chaos,’ it’s people like her, not me. All the law does is make magic pay to play, and therefore it's bullshit,” he concluded, crossing his arms.

Frankel seemed to struggle to find the words to reply. Eventually, she simply gave a pre-rehearsed response. “As a staff member here, I am not permitted to speak against the academy’s values, nor should we be having such discussions in class. You may harbour any views you so desire, but you would do well to watch your mouth.”

“Easy for you to say,” Reed mumbled, “because you’re not the one being affected by it, ya damn puppet.”

A bell chime echoed through every corner of the academy, signifying the end of classes for the day. A visible expression of relief filled Frankel’s face. The students began frantically packing their books, longing to return to their dorms or homes to relax for the night.

“The bell does not dismiss you, I do,” Frankel interrupted, causing most of the students to groan.

“On that note...” she paused for a moment to flex her power, “class is dismissed.”

As Cyrus walked alongside Buffy back to the entrance hall, he only had one thing on his mind: he could really go for some baby taters right about now.

Some Extra Info: 

This world consists of four types of sorcerers:

  * **Conjurers **who manipulate the elements
  * **Enchanters **who can bend the soul and manipulate the very energy of life
  * **Shapeshifters **who can transform into beasts at will; what transformation(s) a shapeshifter can undergo varies on a person by person basis
  * **Diviners **who have the power to write the future

Usually a person will only have an affinity for one of these four branches of magic, though on extremely rare occasions, some lucky few have been born with an affinity for multiple.


	2. School Bells

Cyrus and Buffy were almost to the entrance hall when the sight of an all too familiar face caused them to stop in their tracks.

“Uh oh,” Buffy muttered, “Amber alert.”

Her gaze was fixed on a girl at the end of the hall. The girl’s blonde hair fell freely down to her shoulder blades, her makeup was flawless, and her face seemed to naturally rest in a devilish smile. She was headed straight for them, but not of her own free will. She was being dragged along by someone else.

“Hey guys!” Jonah greeted as he approached, pulling his girlfriend along behind him. The brown-haired boy seemed to always have a smile on his face, his dimples one of his signature features. Or at least Andi thought so; whenever she was around, she couldn’t stop pointing them out if she tried. She was smitten by him to say the least.

“Hey Jonah,” Buffy responded enthusiastically. “Amber,” she added dryly, with a nod in the older girl's direction.

“What’re you guys up to?” Jonah inquired.

“We were just about to meet up with Andi and grab some lunch,” Cyrus answered.

“We were just heading over to eat, too!" Jonah exclaimed. Amber didn't look nearly as excited. "We’ll join you,” he offered.

Amber tugged on his arm. “Actually babe, I’m not feeling very hungry.”

“But you just said you were dying to eat like a minute ago,” Jonah pointed out.

“It’s just my stomach suddenly started hurting,” she explained.

“If your stomachs hurting, we should go to the nurse,” Jonah instructed.

“No no no, it’s not that bad,” Amber stammered. “Let’s just go find somewhere to study together for a bit.”

It was pretty obvious she was just making up an excuse so she didn’t have to eat with Buffy and Cyrus, but Jonah tended to be on the oblivious side.

“Nope, we’re going to the nurse right now,” he commanded, grabbing her by the arm. “Sorry guys, we’ll have to catch you next time.”

“No worries,” Buffy reassured him, grinning at Amber's defeat.

As the couple walked away, Amber glanced back for a moment and shot Buffy and Cyrus a death glare.

The moment they were out of sight, Cyrus exhaled.

“Well that could’ve gone worse,” he noted.

Buffy didn't answer him. Cyrus looked over just in time to see her stand up. “What were you looking for on the ground?” he asked.

“Nothing, just thought I saw a quarter,” she mumbled. “Anyway, let’s go find Andi.”

-_-_-

Though it was almost midnight, Cyrus still laid awake in his dorm, the only light coming from a small flame floating in mid-air above his head. His room was tiny, his bed propped up against one wall. Counters and shelves filled the other wall, leaving only a small isle of walking space between the two, giving him just enough room to get from his doorway to the other end of the room. 

Propped open on his chest was a textbook, the light of the fire dancing across the pages as Cyrus attempted to learn trigonometry. Though his eyelids were heavy, he was wide awake and focused, determined not to slip up again after embarrassing himself in Professor Frankel’s class that afternoon.

Eventually, however, exhaustion won out, and with a final yawn he resolved to go to sleep. He closed his hand into a fist and the flame instantly vanished, draping his room in darkness.

That was when he got a surprise knock on the door.

"Cyrus?" the familiar voice of Buffy called out. "We have a situation."

Cyrus knew whatever was going on, it had to be important for her to sneak out after curfew. He pulled open the door to let her in, but was surprised to find that she was with someone else.

"Andi?" Cyrus exclaimed. Andi's family lived nearby the school, so she didn't stay in the school's dorms. "What're you doing here?"

Andi’s short black hair was messy and she wore her uniform jacket over what looked like PJs, as if she'd just gotten out of bed. Her eyes were stained red, which made Cyrus realize she'd been crying.

"I just needed to get away from everything for a bit," she mumbled, plopping down on Cyrus' bed. "I didn't know where else to go.”

“She showed up at my room an hour before curfew,” Buffy added. “It’s concerningly easy to sneak someone in after dark if they’re already inside.”

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Cyrus asked Andi, his voice soft and sincere.

"Not really," Andi sighed, "I'd rather not think about it at all right now."

"We've got another problem," Buffy changed the subject. “Look,” she instructed, shoving a wrinkled piece of paper in Cyrus’s face.

“Is this what you found on the ground earlier?” Cyrus asked.

“It fell out of Amber’s pocket,” Buffy explained.

“Buffy!” Cyrus scolded. “You can’t go swiping people’s stuff like that!”

“And that’s exactly why I didn’t tell you until now,” she sighed. “Can you just read it, please.”

Cyrus looked down at the note and read it aloud. “_ Meet me at the library after midnight, I think I have a new idea for our plan.” _

“No,” Cyrus said, immediately realizing what Buffy was planning.

“C’mon Cyrus,” she pleaded. 

"We're not sneaking out, I don't want to get in trouble," he resolved.

"Please! What if Amber's planning something with TJ? Her and her brother have been tormenting us since we got here, this could be our chance to turn it around without them even knowing!" Buffy argued.

Cyrus didn't seem convinced.

"Or what if she's planning something dangerous?" Buffy changed her persuasion tactic. "We'd need to stop her, for the good of everyone else. Lives could be at stake!"

"You really think Amber's some kind of fairytale villain trying to blow up the school, don’t you?" Cyrus rolled his eyes.

"I wouldn't put it past her," Buffy shrugged with complete sincerity.

"I'm in," Andi cut in, without hesitation. "I need something to distract myself tonight."

They both looked expectantly at Cyrus.

He sighed. "I guess I'm gonna be dragged into this, aren't I? Fine, I'll come," he caved, "just to make sure you two don't get into trouble."

"Then let's do this," Buffy smiled, sticking out her hand.

Andi placed her hand on top, and Cyrus followed suit, reluctantly.

"Good Hair Crew on three," Buffy instructed. She hated that stupid name Cyrus had came up with for them, but she knew it would help butter him up a bit more.

"1, 2..."

-_-_-

They weren't even out of the dorm hallway yet when they heard a door click open, causing them to freeze in their tracks. This may be a little harder than they thought.

"What are you guys doing?" the familiar voice of Gus whispered, as the pale redhead stared at them from his doorway.

"Go back to sleep, Gus," Buffy commanded, panickedly.

"Ok," he resigned sadly, stepping back into his room and shutting the door.

"Well that was surprisingly easy," Cyrus shrugged.

"Yeah, but the next person probably won't be as understanding," Andi pointed out. "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all."

"No, we can do this," Buffy resolved, pushing ahead before they could say anything else.

Cyrus and Andi glanced at each other, but still they followed behind Buffy.

They made it pretty far without any more interruptions. There were a couple close calls with Professors monitoring the halls, but they weren't too hard to avoid. It was almost strange how easy it was to sneak out at night.

Everything was going well until suddenly Cyrus let out a shrill scream. "I think I just saw bee," he stammered, frantically swatting at the air. "I hate bees! They always chase me because my sweat is so sweet!" Eventually he tripped over himself in his fit and landed on the stone floor with a crash.

"Cyrus!" Buffy panicked. "Be quiet, you're gonna get us caught!"

"Will you both stop yelling!" Andi yelled.

But their loud panic died all at once as footsteps suddenly echoed from down the hall.

They all stayed frozen in silence for a moment, not knowing what to do. Until Buffy spoke up, "Run."

And with that the friends sprinted back the way they came from, Cyrus in the rear after stumbling to get up off the ground.

The footsteps were growing louder and the hallway was long and open. They weren't going to make it back in time. Or more accurately, Cyrus wasn't.

And then he saw a narrow passage that led into a stairway to his left. He took one last look back at the girls as he watched them round the corner, and then he ducked into the corridor.

As Cyrus got higher and higher, the sound of the footsteps faded until the only ones left were his own echoing off the stone steps. But he kept on climbing, just in case. And anyway, he figured it'd be quicker to make it to the top at this point than to go all the way back down.

The staircase was a lot longer than Cyrus expected it to be. He had to take five breaks for air while climbing; admittedly he wasn't the most athletic person, but still.

When he reached the top, a cool breeze hit his face and he finally understood why the stairway had been so tall. He was standing atop the bell tower, the highest point in the academy.

The golden bell was four times his height and seemed to shine even in the darkness of a clouded over night sky. Looking out off the edge, he could see the whole city down below. It looked like a miniature diorama from all the way up here. Even the goliath of a castle in the distance didn't seem nearly as impossibly large from this height, though it was still much taller.

Cyrus was so shocked by the wonder he'd accidentally stumbled into that he almost gasped out loud. But he quickly put his hand to his mouth, because that's when he realized he wasn't alone.

Sitting on the raised ledge, staring down into the sea of lights below, was the tall figure of a boy with a familiarly spiked head of hair.

"TJ?" Cyrus exclaimed, recognizing him. TJ was an α student, so Cyrus knew he didn't live on campus. Actually, now that he thought about it, did his sister Amber even live there either? Man, what was it about tonight and people sneaking into the academy?

TJ's head whipped around, his eyes wide. But his surprise quickly turned to anger. “What’re your doing here?” he demanded, standing up and walking toward Cyrus.

“I, uh-” Cyrus stammered, trying to think of what to say. “Wait, what are _ you _ doing here?” he turned the question around.

“Doesn’t matter,” TJ retreated, "just don't tell anyone you saw me here… _ please _," he added begrudgingly.

"I won't," Cyrus promised. "Are you here to meet with Amber?" he asked, remembering Buffy’s theory.

TJ furrowed his brow, "No? Why would I need to come to school to see my sister?"

"Oh yeah," Cyrus realized. Buffy's plan to sneak out was seeming more and more like a terrible idea every second. Welp, too late now.

"Wait, is my sister here?" TJ asked.

But before Cyrus could answer, TJ changed his mind, putting his hand up to stop Cyrus from talking. "Y'know what, nevermind," he said, turning his back to Cyrus. "I don't wanna know. Her business is her business. It's not like she knows I'm here most nights, anyway."

He leaned his arms onto the ledge and continued staring out like he was doing before, as if he was expecting Cyrus to just leave. But Cyrus wasn't going anywhere. Mostly because he had nowhere else to go.

"So, what _ are _ you doing here," Cyrus asked, coming up behind TJ.

Surprisingly, TJ answered. "I come here to think," he explained.

"Aren't there better places to think than trespassing at school in the middle of the night?" Cyrus asked.

TJ almost chuckled. "Not for me," he shook his head. "I just need a place to get away from everything, a place where none of it matters. I don’t have to think about my parents or my sister, my terrible math marks, or the magic I know I have inside of me but haven’t ever gotten the chance to use.

“Up here, all of it doesn’t matter, I can just watch the world below; thousands of lives in motion that I can't even begin to understand, an infinite number of possibilities, and I get to sit here and watch it all. I don't have to be smart or intimidating, I don't even have to be TJ Kippen. I can just be," he finished with a peaceful smile on his face.

Suddenly, he seemed to realize he'd just been emotionally vulnerable with a complete stranger and tensed up. "Don't you dare tell anyone I said that," he threatened.

Cyrus raised his hands in defense. "I won't, I swear!"

TJ relaxed, looking disappointed in himself. "Sorry," he sighed.

Cyrus blinked. He didn't expect TJ to apologize. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

"You said you're here most nights," Cyrus recalled, "don't your parents ever notice you're gone?"

At this, TJ _ did _ chuckle. "Nope, never," he shook his head. It wasn't a happy laugh. This time Cyrus could tell that there was a lot of pain behind TJ's signature grin.

Cyrus stared at him pityingly. "You wanna talk about it?"

"Not in the slightest," TJ stated bluntly, his gaze fixed on something in the distance.

But after a moment of silence, he suddenly started again. "You'd think they'd notice that my bed's empty nearly every night, or that sometimes I don't come home for weeks. But they never have, they're too preoccupied fighting with each other to care.

"Amber's the only one whose realized I’m gone even if she doesn’t know where I am most nights," he continued, "but what's she gonna do to stop me? She doesn't have the time to bother. She's always either with her boyfriend or working away at her stacks of homework so that she doesn't lose her MA scholarship. She's probably trying to study her way out of the hellhole that is our lives, and I can't say I blame her. But I can’t escape that way; no matter what I do, I’m stuck."

Cyrus was at a loss for words. A simple "I'm sorry" was all he could muster.

"Don't be," TJ replied. After a brief pause he added, "This is so weird.”

"What's weird?"

"Talking to someone about this stuff," he explained. "And with one of Buffy’s stuck up friends of all people."

"Hey, I’m not stuck up!” Cyrus defended.

“Somehow,” TJ smiled, “I believe you.” He shook his head, “Why is this so easy?”

“I guess you just really needed to get this stuff off your chest," Cyrus suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," TJ nodded. "But I don't know, there's something about you. It’s like I already know you, like I’ve known you for a long time. Despite everything, despite not even knowing you, I trust you, and I don’t think I’ve ever trusted anyone before."

Cyrus couldn’t put his finger on it, but he felt it too. Now that he actually got to talk to him in person, TJ didn’t seem like some ruthless monster. He could tell that TJ was so much more than that. And somehow, he trusted TJ too. 

"What's that," TJ called out abruptly, staring at something in the sky.

Cyrus followed his gaze and immediately realized what he was talking about. There, peeking out behind a mass of clouds, was a moon drenched in blood.

"That can't be-" Cyrus started, "it shouldn't be here for another year."

"Tell that to the moon," TJ quipped.

"What do we do?" Cyrus panicked. And then he remembered where he was. "We need to warn everyone," he shouted, turning toward the bell.

Without thinking, Cyrus lunged at the rope hanging beside the golden goliath, and yanked it down as hard as he could. The familiar bell chime rang out into the night, no doubt waking the whole academy and the neighbouring houses.

"Cyrus," TJ called, a hint of panic in his voice.

"What?" Cyrus said looking up. But when his eyes fell on TJ, his heart stopped.

On the other boy's outstretched forearm was a brand in the shape of a flame, glowing the same bloody colour as the moon.

"Wha-" Cyrus began. But he stopped himself, because just then he realized that TJ's arm was outstretched because it was pointing to something. _ Him _.

Cyrus slowly peered down at his own arm, to find the same brand shining on his flesh.

Cyrus looked to TJ, his eyes filled with panic. "What do we do now?"


End file.
